Maria-Lisa Caldwell, Esq.

Maria Caldwell, Esq., currently serves as NASBA’s Chief Legal Officer and Director of Compliance Services. In this role, her responsibilities include reviewing and drafting contracts for all business lines, reviewing data confidentiality and privacy issues and policies, managing legal implications of employee and HR issues, responding to board requests, managing the National Registry of CPE Sponsors business unit and managing Compliance Services products (Accountancy Licensing Library (ALL), Accountancy Licensee Database (ALD), CPEtracking, CPA Mobility and CPAVerify).

Caldwell was hired by NASBA in November 2003 to create an in-house legal department and subsequently created a new business development department. As NASBA General Counsel, Caldwell managed litigation matters for NASBA; and as Director of Business development, she managed development of several NASBA products including ALL, Wall Certificate Services and the creation of LearningMarket.org.

As a natural extension of her work experience with NASBA, Caldwell was asked to lead the Compliance Services department in February 2011 as Director, and assumed the new position of Chief Legal Officer in January 2012.

Prior to joining NASBA, Caldwell served as General Counsel of Sirrom Capital Corporation, a public company specializing in mezzanine debt offerings formerly headquartered in Nashville. Caldwell also worked as an associate with the law firms of Bass, Berry & Sims in Nashville and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles, CA.

A graduate of Duke University School of Law, Caldwell became a member of the Bar of the State of California in 1988 and a member of the Bar of the State of Tennessee in 1991.

Caldwell and her husband, Billy Ray, live in Nashville and are proud parents of three children.